FEATURES
8A
Mom hates sibling rivalry
Dear Annie: My children are
grown and have wonderful fami-
lies of their own, but my daughter is
extremely jealous of her brother and
his family.
My daughter moved to another
state after she graduated college (she
is the eldest) and lived with her father
for a while before she married and
had her two children. She lived there
for almost 24 years before she came
back to our hometown. My son and
I were close because his dad and I
were divorced for four years before
I remarried and we only had each
other. Even after he moved out and
got married, we remained close.
Five years ago, my daughter
divorced her husband, moved home
and married a nice man here. But
never in these ive years has she had
us down to her home for a meal,
though we’ve had them over to our
place many times and on most holi-
days. On the holidays we don’t host,
we are all invited to my son’s, two
hours away. My daughter complains
because of the drive, yet she won’t
have any of the holidays at her house.
She always has excuses — that her
house is too small, she can’t cook,
etc. But we have answers for all of
those.
When I talk about her brother,
she gets upset, but I talk about her
Dear Annie
By
Annie
Lane
Creators
Syndicate
Inc.
life and compliment her all the time.
She lives 1 mile from me but never
comes by. When I go there, she is too
busy watching TV or sleeping.
When my mom was alive, there
was never a day I didn’t talk to her,
and most days I just dropped by her
house to see how she was doing. I
wish I had this kind of relationship
with my daughter. She refers to her
brother as “the chosen child.”
I am 68 years old and don’t want
to die and have my children hate each
other after I’m gone. — Moderator
Mom
Dear Moderator: Your daugh-
ter is so attached to that chip on her
shoulder she should give it a name.
It’s possible she’s holding on to a lot
of anger from her divorce; maybe she
blames her ex-husband for their liv-
ing in another state for 24 years and
she is taking that resentment out on
you and your son because she feels as
if she missed out. Regardless, she’s
being unfair.
Continue to shower her with
affection — but refuse to indulge the
self-pitying remarks. You clearly care
equally about both of your children.
Her attitude is no relection on your
love.
Dear Annie: I don’t know
whether anyone else has this prob-
lem, but it grosses me out, big-time!
Once in a while when I get my
mail from the mailbox, it has cock-
roaches mixed in. I have called the
post ofice, but the people there say
the roaches crawled into the mailbox
by themselves. Anyone who knows
anything about roaches knows that
they are too smart to crawl into any
place that would roast them alive as
soon as the sun hits it. I don’t want
to cost anyone a job, but the prob-
lem needs to be ixed. Any ideas? —
Grossed Out in Missouri
Dear Grossed Out: Unless
you’ve subscribed to a “Bug of the
Month” club for amateur entomol-
ogists, no, there’s nothing normal
about inding cockroaches in the
mailbox. Talk to other people on the
block and see whether they’ve had
the same problem. If they have, call
the post ofice again, and ask your
neighbors to do the same.
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2016
Tomorrow’s horoscope
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Who you really
are is not always the same person you’ve al-
lowed yourself to become. It is the same for
everyone. What is also the same for everyone
is the potential to steer things back on course
at any moment.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Those who re-
act badly to criticism prevent themselves from
growing, because they alienate the very peo-
ple who can enlighten them as to how they (or
their work) are being perceived.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The person who
is trying to seduce you away from your work
or your goals isn’t really on your side. Those
who want you to succeed wouldn’t dream of
tempting you in another direction.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Your friendli-
ness puts all at ease. There are those who
take themselves too seriously to fully under-
stand the importance of small talk and its role
in building rapport. But even these types will
not be immune to your charms.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Because someone
wants your approval, this person is unlikely to
speak of anything unflattering or controversial.
You’re better off with the truth. Make it clear
that honesty is a stipulation of your approval.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Is what you
want really worth working so long and hard
to get to? That future day will come whether
or not you worked long and hard — only, if
you don’t put in the work, that future day won’t
have nearly the same significance.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You want to
know that the other person will be there and
be loyal. This is not too much to ask, though
it’s not the right time to ask it, certainly not
directly. Look for clues instead, and trust your
instincts.
FRANK AND ERNEST
BLONDIE
THATABABY
SALLY FORTH
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
B.C.
LOLA
DILBERT
SIX CHIX
BIZARRO
MUTTS
NON SEQUITUR
BABY BLUES
WIZARD OF ID
ZITS
ROSE IS ROSE
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). A Chinese
proverb says that the eye can’t see its own
lashes. This was before the invention of ex-
tra-long eyelash extensions. Still, it’s possible
that you possess a quality that is invisible to
you though others see it clearly.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You’ll
be catering to an ego today, and this is tricky
business for sure, especially if the ego in
question happens to be your own. Go gin-
gerly, as no good will come of alienating your
subject.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Certain
emotions are unobtainable without a good
amount of self-awareness. Jealousy and
shame fall into the category; so do pride and
admiration. Today you’ll put what you know
about yourself to good use.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You want to
be dazzled by greatness and are therefore
rooting for every source of potential amuse-
ment in your world, hoping (sometimes
against hope) for the very best presentation.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Your path
will converge with another’s. Neither route is
wrong. Neither is trying to own the whole path,
just needing to take it over for the moment to
get to the next place. All can be solved with
courtesy.
TUESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (Aug. 30). One of
your birthday wishes will come to fruition next
month. Now through the year’s end, a great
sense of self-discipline will well up in you.
You will expertly manage your emotions, curb
your cravings and shine in the social arena
of your choice. Family will grow in January.
Finances improve in October and May. Capri-
corn and Gemini adore you. Your lucky num-
bers are: 39, 10, 4, 6 and 45.